What Are the Signs of a Rat or Mouse in the Attic?
There are several signs that can indicate either a rat or mouse being in your attic, including:
- Sounds of little feet scurrying quickly across the ceiling
- Gnaw marks on wood panels, walls, furniture pieces, or practically anything located in your attic
- Droppings that are either brown and moist or gray and crumbly
- Urine stains or the smell of urine coming from your attic
- Oily rub marks on the attic floor where the rodents frequently run
- Nests made of paper, cloth, or other materials available in your attic
- Chewed wires
Both rats and mice have teeth that are constantly growing, similar to fingernails on a human. To keep their teeth filed down, they will chew on harder surfaces like wood, cords, and even plastic pipes like PEX or PVC pipes.
They will also chew into things in an attempt to create a safe hiding spot for a nest. Both rats and mice are able to chew holes into furniture pieces, carving out a place where they can safely live and breed.
How Can I Tell a Rat From a Mouse?
Signs of rats vs mice are pretty similar. In order to determine whether the creatures in your attic are rats or mice, you’ll need to lay eyes on them.
Rats in the House
Two types of rats are likely to turn your house into theirs: the roof rat and the Norway rat.
About the Norway Rat
When you think of a rat, the one that likely comes to mind is the Norway rat. They are sometimes called brown rats or sewer rats and have the following physical characteristics:
- Short, dense fur that is either gray, brown, or a mix of the two
- Long, hairless tail that is roughly the same length as its body
- Size that is about 16 inches in length from the nose to the tip of the tail
Norway rats communicate in similar ways to other rodents by:
- Squeaking
- Chirping
- Squealing
- Hissing
In terms of diet, Norway rats will feed on a variety of food sources, including:
- Bird or reptile eggs
- Insects
- Lizards
- Small birds and bats
- Fruits
- Grains
- Leave
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Garbage items
- Pantry items
About the Roof Rat
The roof rat, which gets its name because it likes to find shelter in higher-up places like attics and roofs, is also referred to as the black rat and has the following physical characteristics:
- Short, smooth fur that can look black or dark brown
- Long, hairless tail that is roughly an inch or two longer than its body
- Size that is about 16 inches in length from the nose to the tip of the tail
- Even though the roof rat and Norway rat are about the same length when including the tail, the Norway rat presents larger, as the average body length is about 10 inches. The average body length for the roof rat is about eight inches.
Roof rats communicate in similar ways to the Norway rat by:
- Squeaking
- Chirping
- Squealing
- Hissing
Like most rodents, the roof rat will eat a variety of food sources, including:
- Bird or reptile eggs
- Small birds and bats
- Insects
- Slugs
- Snails
- Fruits
- Leaves
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Garbage items
- Pantry items
Mice in the House
The most common types of mice that may infiltrate your home and take over your attic are the house mouse and the field mouse.
About the House Mouse
House mice are what you typically think of when you picture a mouse. Physical characteristics include:
- Soft, smooth, grayish-brown fur
- Long, hairless tail that is about the same length as its body
- Size that is about five or six inches in length from the nose to the tip of the tail
House mice communicate in similar ways to other rodents by:
- Squeaking
- Chirping
- Squealing
- Hissing
One form of communication that is unique to the mouse is singing. That’s right, mice have been observed to sing to each other! Unfortunately, their songs are ultrasonic, meaning the frequency is too high-pitched for human ears to hear.
Like Norway and roof rats, house mice will eat pretty much anything, including:
- Bird or reptile eggs
- Small birds
- Insects
- Fruits
- Grains
- Leaves
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Garbage items
- Pantry items
About the Field Mouse
Sometimes called a deer mouse, the field mouse is slightly larger than the house mouse and has a rounder shape. It also has the following physical characteristics:
- Soft, short, tannish-brown fur with a white underbelly
- Long, hairless tail that is roughly the same length as its body
- Size that is about six to eight inches long from the nose to the tip of the tail
Deer mice communicate like house mice and other rodents by:
- Squeaking
- Chirping
- Squealing
- Hissing
- Singing (inaudible to the human ear)
Deer mice eat a variety of food sources, including:
- Bird or reptile eggs
- Small birds
- Insects
- Fruits
- Grains
- Flowers
- Leaves
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Garbage items
- Pantry items
Whether you have a rat or mouse in the attic or an infestation of rats or mice, it’s important to address the rodent(s) and clear your attic of the creatures that shouldn’t be up there. Removal can be tricky without the help of a professional extermination company. When it’s time to take control of your attic, call on the pros at Bizzy Bee Exterminators for effective rodent removal.
Don’t let rats and mice damage your attic and the things you are storing up there. Let Bizzy Bee Exterminators provide rodent control so you can stop sharing your house with these pesky, house-damaging animals.
Call us to schedule pest control at your home today: 1-800-273-4958
